What's Your Favorite Law and Why?

We do a fair bit of Web surfing over here at ABAJournal.com and often come up empty when searching for treasure. But we were delighted the other day to dig up this gem in which Colorado’s MileHive asked ABA President H. Thomas Wells a series of questions for a law series.

Our favorite was the question asking Wells to share his favorite law and explain why he likes it. Wells’ answer:

“This is a bit obscure, but the rule against perpetuities. As you probably know, the rule against perpetuities is a rule of future interest law generally used in estate planning. This rule says that the property right or a right in a piece of property must vest, if ever, within the live or lives in being plus 21 years. It is my favorite because it was the linchpin of the movie Body Heat. It is the only time that I have ever seen really arcane, sort of boring, estate planning rule of law become the central piece of a Hollywood movie.”

This made us wonder how you’d answer.

So in the comments section, please answer this question: What’s your favorite law? Don’t forget to tell us why.

Posted by Hadley V. Baxendale: “I have found that a healthier work relationship occurs in smaller firms where the partner/associate distinction is softened. Each has to respect the other’s work, knowledge, expertise and perspective, and sometimes the associate’s is better than the partner’s. Occasional social interaction is healthy, such as drinks after work, and no reason a true friendship can’t form. Why can you have a friendship between two associates, or two partners, but not between a 6-year associate and a second-year partner? Is there really a grand metamorphosis? As for sexual shenanigans, those will occur regardless of rules, but perhaps open socializing makes it less likely than furtive get-togethers.”